


Darker

by givemesomewings



Series: 1+1 [2]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:21:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29127141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/givemesomewings/pseuds/givemesomewings
Summary: The lighter moments in their time together blended so easily with their darkest, bloodiest moments in the field. If Matt was honest, that brutal combination led to one of the most fulfilling relationships that he had ever been in.
Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Series: 1+1 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137212
Comments: 12
Kudos: 24





	Darker

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place in an alternate version of The Punisher S2E1. Matt travels to Michigan to get answers about their relationship from Frank. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned.
> 
> ***
> 
> The timeline for the NMCU has been fudged a little bit for the purposes of this fic. The Punisher S1 takes place in between Daredevil S2 and the Defenders. And The Punisher S2 takes place around the same time as the Defenders.
> 
> ***
> 
> This chapter is meant to tell Matt’s side of a story that was explored more in part one of the series, but you’ll probably be able to enjoy this part just fine without reading that one.
> 
> This fic was also loosely inspired by the song “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers.

Matt woke slowly, blinking against the subtle warmth he felt on his face; he’d remembered to close the curtains last night, but a sliver of sunlight must have slipped through anyway. And if the sun was up, that meant he’d probably missed his window to slip out unseen.

He sighed heavily as he thought about the other source of warmth pressed into his side, with her head on his shoulder and her leg thrown over his waist. The woman - Gloria? It was something kind of unique. Maybe Glorianna? - snored softly next to him.

Matt was only slightly ashamed that he couldn’t quite recall her name. After all, he had been very drunk last night; way more intoxicated than he should have let himself get, especially in such an unfamiliar area. But Matt supposed he had a pretty good reason to bury himself under almost an entire bottle of Macallan.

He was an idiot. A very sad, pathetic, lonely idiot. He hadn’t planned to end the night by sleeping with a stranger. He’d wanted to share a bed with someone else. Actually, Matt wanted to kick that someone else’s ass into next week. Whichever option would have suited him just fine, but of course his luck hadn’t let him do either.

Frank fucking Castle. Matt needed to see the man. To get answers. He need to know why, after everything they’d been through together over the past couple of months, Frank would just leave without saying a Goddamn word.

It still came as a surprise to Matt, how much the other man’s absence hurt him. But Frank’s sudden departure had added insult to a copious amount of injuries.

Matt had been at a low point in his life when he really started getting to know Frank. For a time, it had felt like that’s all Matt’s life was; low points. Everything he cared about, everything he had fought so hard to build had come crumbling down.

The firm had gone to hell and he couldn’t really blame anyone but himself. He’d been trying to do the right thing by his city, but he dropped the ball big time. And worst of all, he pushed Foggy away.

Matt didn’t think he was totally at fault for how things had gone down between he and his closest friend. Foggy had never understood his need to be Daredevil and the problem, amongst many, was that he didn’t want to understand. Matt never expected him to agree with his choices, but Fog’s refusal to accept him for who he was, when that’s all Matt ever tried to do for him, seemed to be too big an issue for them to overcome.

Karen had been a little more sympathetic, but she’d left just the same. It wasn’t the fact that Matt was the ‘Man in the Mask’ that she took issue with; she actually kind of admired him for it. The willingness to make hard decisions and take drastic measures were both qualities that Karen could appreciate. It was the lying that put her off so badly.

She could admit that she felt safer knowing The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen was on the street watching out for her, but she just wasn’t sure if she could trust Matt Murdock to do the same. She didn’t really fault him for his actions, but she definitely didn’t condone them either. At the end of the day, Karen just wasn’t sure if she was comfortable being around him. And what was even worse, Matt couldn’t blame her for it.

And after he’d driven the only two people in this world that he considered family out of his life, there was just one thing, one person left worth caring about: Elektra. Her death had hurt more than anything he could’ve imagined.

Matt couldn’t deny that his ‘second life’ seemed to be the common denominator of all the problems he was having. Daredevil had definitely done some good, but Matt couldn’t help but feel worse and worse every time he put on the suit.

He’d been contemplating everything one night when he’d bumped into The Punisher. God, that name made Matt’s skin crawl. Not because of the murder and mayhem that would always be attached to it, though that certainly didn’t help. What really bothered him about the name was it’s accuracy.

Frank was no longer the deranged criminal Matt had once thought he was. He was a man; just a man in pain. A man locked in a state of constant mourning. A man who, every time he slipped on that skull, every time he pulled the trigger, was punishing himself just as much as he was the people he killed. Matt could relate to that overwhelming feeling of guilt.

It took some time and a few hard looks in the mirror to see what Frank and so many others had said before: that he and Matt weren’t all that different. That they were actually pretty damn close to one another. But not even they knew how right they were. No one could’ve guessed how close Matt and Frank would become.

***

_Frank was preparing to take another life right as Matt reached him. He was perched on some rooftop aiming his gun at what Matt could sense was two men in a graveyard. He didn’t know who Frank’s targets were but he sure as hell wasn’t gonna stand there and just let the man murder someone._

_Matt snuck up on him and kicked the rifle clean off the roof before Frank could take a shot. He then proceeded to kick the living shit out of Frank. Or rather he tried to kick the living shit out of him, but he had easily deflected each one of Matt’s attacks._

_Matt had gone in swinging, expending every bit of energy he had at Frank, pouring all of his anger and frustration into his fists. So much so that he let it blind him, for lack of a better word. Which is why he ended up pinned to the rooftop, with a very angry Frank on top of him._

_Matt could feel the rage pouring off of the other man in waves, but he didn’t care. He was willing to fight until the sun came up and Frank must’ve recognized that. He gave up on wrestling with Matt after another minute or so. He figured he’d waste more time trying to beat Matt into submission than trying to convince him to just sit his ass down and listen for once. Frank gave him a brief rundown of what he was doing._

_Apparently, Frank asked his old war buddy for help getting the drop on some guy who’d been tailing him for a while._

_Frank didn’t know who the guy was, just that this ‘Micro’ knew way too much about his past. Curt was down there feeling the guy out while Frank was providing cover in case the spook tried anything. And Matt had waltzed into his sniper’s nest and ruined everything, leaving Curt significantly less protected._

_Matt wasn’t going to apologize for stopping Frank from potentially killing someone, but he had gone into the situation uninformed and acted without thinking. He’d mishandled the entire thing, and because of that he’d left someone else unprotected. Vulnerable._

_It was another mistake he could add to his long list of failures, another life lost that he could claim responsibility for. Hell, if Curtis ended up hurt Matt may as well have just pulled the trigger himself._

_Thank God nothing like that happened, though. Curtis got what he needed from the guy and was able to leave the graveyard unharmed._

_All Matt could do was apologize, which was uncharacteristic enough that once the expression of regret had left his lips, Frank’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. But before Frank could question his behavior, Matt disappeared. He dove off the edge of the rooftop, trying to hurry home before Frank could notice his chest heaving and the tremor building in his voice._

_In a matter of minutes Matt had stormed through his rooftop entrance, ripping off his mask as he stomped down the stairs. He stood at the foot of the staircase, his stuttered breathing the only sound in the apartment as he tried to rein in his emotions._

_He was successful for only a few moments before he lost that battle completely. He snatched a lamp off of the side table in his living room and threw it against the wall as hard as he could. He listened as it shattered; bits of glass, metal and hardened clay raining down on his floor. Matt joined them, letting his own broken pieces fit into the mess he’d made._

_He choked out a few sobs as he lay there, feeling the weight of all his mistakes sitting on his chest. He didn’t know how long he lied there, it could have been minutes or hours for all Matt could remember. He was so lost in his sadness that he didn’t even notice when someone else arrived._

_Matt calmed down a bit, his sobs quieting to sniffles as he picked himself up off of the floor. He was dragging himself toward his bedroom, listening to the glass crunch underneath his boots when he heard four sharp raps against his door._

_He stopped in his tracks, his mind cycling through the handful of people who would be knocking at his door. He didn’t get many visitors in the daytime; who would be at his door at what had to be at least three in the morning?_

_Matt figured it must be a disgruntled neighbor, upset at the loud crashing and the crying. The angry heartbeat on the other side of the door said more than whatever creative phrase they could come up with to tell him to shut the hell up, though Matt doubted they wouldn’t try. What he didn’t anticipate was that they’d be mad enough to jimmy his lock._

_Matt’s eyes widened as he heard the gears in his lock shift and the door slide open. He somersaulted behind his armchair, shrinking down so that he could briefly use the small piece of furniture for cover before he pounced on the intruder._

_Heavy footsteps moved slowly through his foyer before they entered the rest of the apartment. They stopped once the person came around the corner._

_“Red?” Frank’s gruff voice called out. His voice was quiet, worn out._

_Matt wanted to kick himself. He should have recognized Frank long before he entered the room. His focus was shot and he was getting sloppy. If Stick were here he’d have Matt’s head for such a stupid mistake._

_“Goddammit,” Frank muttered next, pulling his piece from the holster on his waist. “Red, are you hurt?” he asked, probably taking in the mess Matt had just made of his furniture._

_Frank moved through his living room and toward the shattered lamp. Matt could hear the tension in his arms and shoulders, coiling up tight like springs. Frank was gearing up to attack._

_As soon as he made his way next to the armchair, Matt jumped him._

_“Dammit, Red!” Frank hissed as he was tackled to the ground, Matt rolling their bodies smoothly so that he landed on top of Frank._

_Matt was seated firmly on Frank’s chest, his knees on either side of his torso. He had both his hands locked around Frank’s wrists, pinning them down so that he couldn’t move them._

_Matt slammed the hand Frank was using to hold his gun into the ground once, twice before the weapon fell out of his grip and skittered across the floor and out of reach. After a brief moment in which they panted heavily in one another’s faces, Frank spoke._

_“You done?” he asked tiredly. He was just lying there, not trying to break free from Matt’s hold. Matt didn’t understand why Frank wasn’t trying to at least buck him off and he didn’t care right then. First, he wanted to know why Frank had broken into his apartment._

_“What are you doing here, Castle?” Matt sneered. His face wasn’t even an inch from Frank’s, Matt’s breath coasting across the other man’s lips as he spoke._

_“I’m not here to fight you, Red. So you can ease off me any time now,” Frank said with the same bored tone._

_The tension Matt had sensed earlier was no longer in his body, which helped confirm that he wasn’t trying to attack Matt; though the irritation in his voice implied that he wouldn’t be totally against smacking Matt upside the head._

_“That doesn’t answer my question,” he said, not really caring about Frank’s attitude. Matt wasn’t sorry that he’d thwarted Frank’s attempt to break into his home, no matter how inconvenient it was for the other man. “What do you want, Frank?”_

_Frank sighed heavily before he answered. “I came to ask you why you ruined my mark earlier and then ran off crying,” he said, shifting a little under Matt’s weight. “Now can you let me up?”_

_“I wasn’t crying,” Matt said. The response sounded weak even to his own ears. Frank carefully said nothing. Matt may not have been crying earlier but he’d definitely been crying now. The evidence was in his swollen, red rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks._

_They sat in the quiet, Frank’s silence calling out his lie for what it was and forcing him to admit defeat. Matt sighed and let go of Frank’s arms. He moved back so that he was more or less just sitting on Frank’s stomach. Then Matt rose to his feet and stepped over him so that Frank was no longer sandwiched between his legs._

_“What’s going on with you, Red?” Frank asked, rolling his shoulders a bit as he sat up._

_“What is this? A wellness check?” Matt asked, his back to Frank as he took a few steps toward his bedroom. He stopped and leaned heavily against the frame of his sliding door, the exhaustion returning to his body as soon as he decided Frank was no longer a threat. “I’m fine, Frank. You can go.”_

_“Don’t seem fine. You seem fucked up,” he grunted, getting to his feet. “And whatever it is that’s eatin’ at you has got you acting real sloppy. So, I need to know that you won’t let your shit get in the way of my shit again. Because if you do-“_

_“Okay. I won’t,” Matt interrupted languidly. “Now leave.”_

_Frank just stood there. “That wasn’t very convincing,” he deadpanned. “No questions, no speech, no self righteous sermon. No, all you have to say is ‘okay.’_

_Frank bent down to retrieve the gun Matt made him drop earlier. He spoke as he tucked it back into his holster. “That’s supposed to make me believe that you’re actually gonna leave this alone?”_

_“I don’t care what you believe, Frank,” Matt said, a hard edge to his voice now. Matt still didn’t turn around to face him, afraid that emotions aside from anger would still be etched across his features. “Just go. Please.”_

_He tried and failed to keep his voice from shaking, that edge gone just as quickly as it came, replaced now with a light trembling. Frank heard the tremor in his words loud and clear._

_“You see, I would go, Red. I really would,” he said after a long beat. “But I already lost my target, yeah? Micro is in the fucking wind because I stopped tailing him and dragged my ass back to your Goddamn apartment to figure out what hell was going on with you.”_

_Frank spat the words at his back, his temper rising a bit as he detailed yet another way Matt had turned tonight to shit. He took a half a step forward, Matt half-expecting him to take a swing before Frank stopped himself._

_He exhaled a bit, obviously trying to calm himself down. “Look, Red. This guy, he’s got some shit on me, yeah? He’s got shit that I need and I-“ Frank took another breath, trying desperately not to get too worked up. Matt wasn’t sure anymore if it was for Frank’s sake or his own._

_“Look, following you- just being here right now is costing me hours of hard earned intelligence; hours that I don’t have to waste. I need to figure out how I’m gonna find this guy ASAP,” he said. “So I’m asking you, Red. Are you alright? Really?”_

_Matt said nothing, just let his shoulders slump a little as he stood there. Frank tried to wait him out. He tried to give Matt the time he needed to speak, to work out whatever he needed to work out but he couldn’t help himself. He moved toward Matt._

_“Goddammit, Red. Just talk to me, will ya?” he placed a hand on Matt’s shoulder which Matt promptly shook off. He still couldn’t turn around._

_Frank huffed through his nose. “Yeah, okay.” Matt could hear him nod harshly a few times before he turned on his heel and stormed toward the door he’d snuck through earlier. “Stay outta my way, Red.”_

_Frank let the door slam behind him. Matt continued to linger in his bedroom’s doorway, head hanging down between his drooped shoulders. He wanted to be grateful that Frank had finally left, that he wasn’t there to watch Matt fall apart, but the feeling of his pitifully empty apartment made the knot in his stomach twist even tighter._

_Frank’s earnestness wasn’t lost on Matt either. There was something hidden underneath his pleas to get Matt to open up, something besides the exasperation he felt at having lost his mark._

_It almost felt like Frank was questioning him not just for the sake of his mission but for the sake of Matt’s general wellbeing. It almost felt like Frank cared._

_The realization that there was someone else in the world who was thinking of him, worrying about him, didn’t weigh Matt down with the hefty sense of responsibility that he’d thought it would. More than anything, it confused him. Why would Frank have any kind of feelings for Matt; aside from his usual contempt and their mutual condescension?_

_That curiosity helped fuel him to right the mistake he’d made earlier that night. For the next couple of days, Matt tailed Frank. He did it from afar, confident that the Punisher was none the wiser. Matt covertly followed him to and from his work, what appeared to be his favorite diner based on how often he ate there, and his sad excuse for an apartment._

_He was trying to catch this ‘Micro’ guy in the act of stalking Frank by doing just that; and he was successful in doing so._

_Matt had perched himself on a rooftop across from the aforementioned diner and listened for anything suspicious. He was shocked when he sensed a thin, middle aged man with a flighty, nervous heartbeat climb onto the roof of the restaurant and sit down heavily on a fold-out beach chair._

_He listened as the man pulled out a cellphone and made a call. Matt was also delightfully surprised when Frank’s phone rang shortly after._

_Frank talked to the man briefly, Matt’s suspicions confirmed as the man identified himself as Micro. Then Frank threatened him, quickly hung up the phone, darted across the street and onto a random rooftop in an attempt to surprise the man and catch him; only to realize that Micro had tricked him into going on a wild goose chase._

_Matt listened as Frank cursed both himself and Micro for his mistake. He then listened as Micro chuckled to himself at the cleverness of his plan, waved to Frank and left the rooftop._

_He was smug and overconfident; just how Matt liked ‘em. It would make it that much more satisfying when he ruined whatever plans Micro had to blackmail, or whatever he wanted to do, to Frank._

_He followed Micro’s beat up old car as it took several roundabout turns for about an hour. He was beginning to grow tired when the vehicle pulled up at some abandoned warehouse that wasn’t more than 20 minutes away from the diner._

_Matt had to give the man his props for setting up such an ingenious ruse. He noted the address, using surrounding chatter and other non visual indicators to get an exact location, then returned to his apartment to prepare for that night._

_He watched Micro’s warehouse for a few more days to make certain that it was the man’s base of operations. When he was sure of his information, he went to Frank._

_Matt showed up at his door behind a pair of shades, a hoodie over his compression shirt and his scarf tucked deep into a pocket. Frank was lying in his bed, startled out of a fitful sleep when Matt’s knocking woke him._

_He heard Frank arm himself before he looked through the peephole, sighed angrily and then yanked open the door._

_“I found him,” he said before Frank could ask what the hell Matt was doing at his apartment at one in the morning._

_“Micro,” he smiled when Frank just stood there. “Let’s go.”_

_Frank stared at him for a little while longer before he smiled and nodded his head. He pushed the door open a little wider so that Matt could enter. “Let me get dressed. Then you lead the way.”_

_Matt took him to the warehouse where Micro was holed up. Frank cursed himself again once he realized how close the hideout was the whole time._

_Matt let him know where all the entrances were and which ones had the least security._

_“Thanks, Red,” Frank said. His voice was low and sincere when he spoke. Matt could sense that his head was tipped in his direction. “I mean it. Thank you for this.”_

_“No problem,” Matt said, voice just as quiet. He turned his head toward Frank so that they were face to face, their features only inches apart in the darkness. He cleared his throat and turned back to the warehouse. “I’ll stand guard. Act as your backup.”_

_“Nah. You go on home, Red,” Frank sniffed, eyes back on the hideout. “This is something I’ve gotta do alone.”_

_“I’m not going to let you kill him-“_

_“I’m not,” Frank interrupted, “going to kill him.”_

_“I need information. A lot of this shit doesn’t make any fucking sense,” he said. “This guy has some missing pieces I need. And I’m gonna get ‘em. Can’t do that if he’s dead.”_

_“And after you get them? Your answers,” Matt asked. “What’ll you do then?”_

_“Goddammit. I said I wouldn’t kill him, Red,” Frank ground out. “I don’t know how many times I gotta say it.”_

_“Hmm,” Matt hummed. Frank’s heartbeat was steady but Matt still wasn’t sure he believed him. Or maybe he just needed a reason to stay. “If you say so.”_

_“I do say so.”_

_Frank checked his person to make sure his knives were sharpened and his guns were loaded. Then he strode across the street from where they had hidden themselves._

_He stopped walking when he realized Matt hadn’t left yet. “You’re not gonna leave are you?”_

_“Nope,” Red called back to him._

_Frank just shook his head, turned around, and resumed his walk toward the hideout, cursing at Matt under his breath as he went._

***

Matt didn’t leave. He stayed for the entirety of Frank’s interrogation that night and for several months after. And he’d have stayed even longer without complaint if he had to.

Plus, he had ended up having to go in and rescue Frank after David had gotten the drop on him. That had become a running joke between the three of them for quite some time, much to Frank’s chagrin.

Matt had broken into the warehouse to find Frank unconscious on a makeshift bed, tucked neatly under several blankets. After Matt recovered from his shock, he slammed a terrified David up against the wall and forced him to explain himself. Frank came to and the rest was history.

The three of them had worked together to unfold the conspiracy that Rawlins had created to paint both Frank and Lieberman into traitors and enemies of the state. David acted as the mission coordinator and Frank and Matt as his dutiful soldiers.

It made Matt feel good to help; to be doing something right for a change. To put on the suit and know that he wasn’t pushing anyone away or hurting someone who didn’t deserve it. As a matter of fact, it brought he and Frank even closer together when he put on the mask.

It seemed like Frank was the only person in the world who really appreciated Matt for what he did in the dark. Not that Matt was looking for a thank you, but it was nice to feel like he wasn’t the bad guy; to have someone who let him know that he wasn’t a shitty friend or a horrible person. He just never expected that person would be Frank Castle.

It still shocked him that the few times Matt didn’t voluntarily join Lieberman and Frank on one of their ops, Frank was happy to call him up.

It spoke volumes that Frank would not only accept his help, but would seek him out and ask for it. Even when there were times that Matt knew Frank was capable of handling a mission alone, he would still ask Matt along. Matt would later realize that he wasn’t doing it just to lighten his own load, but because Frank wanted him there. He knew that Matt needed to be on the streets; not only to be useful but to actually feel useful, too.

It also spoke volumes that the sentiment didn’t make Matt feel patronized at all. It made him feel good; more than good.

Not to say that the two of them didn’t butt heads. Matt obviously took issue with the way Frank ‘took care’ of his enemies. And even though David would usually agree with Matt, there were a few times where he believed that Frank’s methods were necessary, too. They would discuss it, but they never got into it as badly as he and Frank did.

It would be after a particularly heated argument, and always on rooftops far away from David and what had become their home base, that tensions ran high; way higher than normal. Adrenaline rushing through their bodies made way for sensations different from anger and stubbornness to make themselves known.

Frank would twist Matt’s arm behind his back and slam him up against against a wall, face first. Matt would grab Frank by the collar of his vest and yank him forward, so close that their noses were pressed up against each other. Those were the moments when things really started to change between the two of them; when their relationship went from friends and allies to something more.

Pointed insults became soft moans and angry sneers morphed into hungry kisses. One of them would push the other into the darkest corner they could find and they’d do things to each other that Matt would find himself reminiscing about the following morning at the most inappropriate times.

Frank fucked like a machine; hard, fast, and angry. And Matt loved it. There were nights when it felt like Frank had turned him inside out from pure ecstasy, when Matt thought he’d pass out from the pleasure.

There were other nights when Matt gave as good as he got, when Frank would be left gasping for air and complaining about aches and pains the next day that had definitely not come from kicking some lowlife’s ass. It made Matt both laugh and swell with pride, knowing that he’d broadened Frank’s sexual horizons and introduced him to positions that Frank genuinely didn’t know existed before he came around.

Frank was worlds away from the woman currently using Matt’s bicep as a pillow. She had been sweet, gentle, overly encouraging; she was enthusiastic to the point that Matt wanted to question how genuine she was being.

Not that he really cared one way or the other. He wanted her to have a good time, but he didn’t really give a damn whether or not he had fun. His heart wasn’t it. Her tender touches and her sensual giggling did nothing for him. He wanted hard. He wanted rough. He wanted something else; someone else.

Even her heartfelt attempt at aftercare didn’t hold a candle to Frank’s, and that was a very low bar to hurdle. Glorianna had been kind, but few things compared to getting an honest smile out of a Frank and an even rarer joke from the man. It was a side to Frank that Matt wished he’d gotten to see more often.

Those lighter moments in their time together blended so easily with their darkest, bloodiest moments in the field. That brutal combination led to, if Matt was honest, one of the most fulfilling relationships he’d ever been in.

He didn’t have to hide who he was from Frank and Frank wasn’t trying to change him into something he wasn’t; not anymore. It wasn’t like they saw eye to eye on every issue, not even the most important ones, but no one ever did. They could still get along when it mattered most.

It had been a long, tumultuous road to get to the place they were in but they’d gotten there nonetheless. And Matt was happy. He could finally admit that.

The fighting, the fucking, the laughs, the trust; it was more than enough for Matt to feel safe. To feel seen. And he’d thought it was enough for Frank, too; until he’d met up with Karen.

***

_It was months into his relationship with Frank when he finally gained enough confidence to get back on the streets, full time and guilt free. He felt almost as excited as he did when he first started fighting crime all those years ago._   
_He was back to striking fear into the hearts of criminals all over Hell’s Kitchen, not just Frank’s enemies._

_Frank not only understood his need to get back the Kitchen, but he’d pushed Matt to do so. Frank had his war to fight and Matt was happy to help him, but plenty of other people that need his help too. Fisk may have been behind bars, but he’d left behind a whole lot of other assholes that wanted to take his place as the Kingpin of Crime. It was still so much work to be done._

_And his job didn’t end there. Daredevil had finally gotten his shit together and it was time that Matt Murdock followed suit. Being with Frank helped him heal both sides of himself: the man and the vigilante. It was time for him to be as good a friend as he was a hero. So when Karen left a message on his answering machine asking Matt to meet for coffee, he was happy to join her._

_After an initial awkward but contented brunch date, the coffee meetings became a regular thing. And they were fun; they gradually became re-familiarized with one another and slowly worked toward that old easy friendship they’d had before everything went to shit._

_Foggy even reached out to him, supposedly at Karen’s behest, but they both knew that that wasn’t the only reason. Matt loved Foggy and Foggy loved Matt. At one point they’d been closer than brothers; partners in any and everything that life threw at them. They were both eager to get back to that._

_It was slow going, though. Fog still needed time and he understood that. Matt was happy to give it to him._

_He was feeling optimistic for what felt like the first in forever. Fog took his new attitude as a miracle, chalked it up to his renewed faith in God or whatever else; but Karen was a little more suspicious. She could sense that there was still something Matt wasn’t telling them but he knew that even she would be surprised if and when she got her answer._

_Matt jumped out of bed one morning when he heard her pounding at his front door and then rushed to open it. She’d jarred him out of a deep sleep._

_He stayed out late last night patrolling the neighborhood and decided to make an appearance in the Bronx to check in on Frank. Matt got so busy dealing with a budding war between the Irish and the Cartel that he hadn’t seen the other man in a while._

_Matt wanted to make sure that Frank didn’t need his assistance on any new targets; and to offer his assistance in taking care of Frank’s other needs. It had been a very long night._

_He was barely awake when he turned the knob and Karen pushed past him. She frantically checked the apartment and nearly pulled his bedroom door off the hinges looking for God knows what._

_“Karen? What are you-“_

_“Where is he?” she interrupted him angrily._

_“Where is who?” he asked incredulously. “Karen, you need to calm down.”_

_He approached her quickly and placed both hands on her shoulders. She was practically vibrating with barely controlled rage. He spoke softly so that he wouldn’t push her any further over the edge._

_“What are you talking abou-“_

_“Frank,” she said through gritted teeth._

_Matt froze involuntarily, hoping that he didn’t give anything away but already knowing Karen was too perceptive to have missed his reaction._

_“I don’t, um,” Matt let his hands drop from her shoulders. “Frank Castle?”_

_“You know any other ‘Franks?’_

_“A couple actually,” Matt said. “The guy who owns the hot dog cart on 53rd is-“_

_“Don’t treat me like I’m an idiot, Matt,” she said. “You know I don’t just read the papers, I write them.”_

_Matt’s confusion must’ve shown on his face because Karen sighed heavily before she continued._

_“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” she said behind arms folded across her chest. “Don’t start lying to me now, Matt. Not again. Not about this.”_

_He chose his next words carefully, trying to do what she asked without breaking his promise to Frank. “What does The Bulletin have to do with this?”_

_“We got a tip last night,” she sighed again. “That the Punisher had been seen fighting on a rooftop. With Daredevil,” she spat at him._

_“I thought it was bullshit at first, even with the blurry photo the guy brought in. But after today I knew it had to be true.”_

_Matt was shocked. Since when did Karen know about Frank?_

_Matt was pretty sure that Karen already knew Frank was still alive even though news outlets and police reports had long ago claimed that he was deceased. She just didn’t know where he’d gone after he killed Schoonover and disappeared from the face of the earth. But now she somehow knew that he hadn’t gone very far after all._

_“Cut the shit, Matt!” she rolled her eyes. “It’s getting old.”_

_“What happened today? How do you know Castle’s alive?” he ignored her slights. He needed to know what happened between now and last night that exposed Frank to Karen and apparently her entire newspaper._

_“Are you serious?” she asked. After a minute of staring she dropped her arms. “Oh my God. You are.”_

_She looked around and then scoffed. “I forgot you wouldn’t have a TV.”_

_She looked around again. “You don’t even have a radio in here. How do you get your news?”_

_“Karen?” he prompted. They needed to stay on topic._

_“Right,” she shook her head. “This guy, Lewis Wilson. He’s this... deranged military vet who planned a ‘coordinated attack on all liberal media,’ she explained. She was running with her hands through her hair as she spoke._

_“Which included The Bulletin, and me, specifically. I’m fine,” she added quickly when she saw Matt’s concern. “Frank made sure of that. He tracked Lewis down before he could get anywhere near me.”_

_She moved past Matt and toward the couch. She sat down heavily. “He’s dead now, obviously. Lewis, I mean,” she clarified, though they both knew she didn’t need to._

_“But Frank got caught fleeing the scene on some cop’s dash cam. That’s how we found out he was alive,” she said. “Well, that’s how I, and the rest of New York, found out. I guess you already knew about that little detail.”_

_Matt ignored the jibe. He just moved over to his armchair and sat across from Karen. “He did all this before noon?”_

_She turned toward him slowly. “It’s three o’clock, Matt.”_

_Damn, he really was tired._

_“But none of that explains why you two were together on a some rooftop,” she sat forward, elbows on her knees. “What’s going on, Matt? Please just tell me.”_

_Neither of them said anything for a while, but Matt could tell she was staring at him. “What were you two fighting about? Is Frank okay?”_

_“Um,” Matt shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wincing a bit as he did so. He was still a little sore from yesterday._

_Karen got up from the couch when she noticed. She walked toward him. “Are_ you _okay?”_

_Matt waved off her concern. “It’s nothing. I’ve had a lot worse.”_

_“Are you sure?” She didn’t move away though. She was studying his torso as she stood over him. “Looks like he got you pretty good.”_

_She was still staring. It was starting to make Matt uncomfortable. “Are those... hickeys?”_

_Matt instantly turned beet red. He shot up from his seat and started walking toward his bedroom for a shirt._

_“Those aren’t from Frank,” he lied. He mentally checked over any other marks Frank might have left on him as he went._

_Karen followed closely behind him. “I didn’t say they were.”_

_She grabbed his shoulder to keep him from going any further. She turned him around and placed a hand on his stomach, slowly coasting it over all the bruises she saw._

_“And these,” she said, her hand on his side now. She was looking at a spattering of small bruises there. Coincidentally, the markings looked like someone’s hand; as if someone had been gripping his hips exceptionally hard. “These... fingerprints. Are they not from Frank, too?”_

_Matt said nothing, belatedly remembering the bite marks Frank had left that were sure to be visible on his neck._

_Karen yanked her hand back as if she’d been burned. She turned on her heel and walked quickly back toward the door._

_“Karen, wait,” Matt said, reaching for the hand she’d just had pressed against him. She stopped walking, but slowly pulled her hand away. She waited for him to speak._

_“I’ve been... helping Frank.” He corrected himself when he sensed the blood rushing to Karen’s face. “He found the guys who killed his family. I’ve been working with him to bring them to justice.”_

_“I thought Reyes and Schoonover were the ones who-“_

_“It goes way above Reyes and Schoonover. It’s a lot deeper that we initially thought.”_

_“Well, why didn’t he come to me? I could’ve done something,” she said. “I can at least do some digging on whoever these guys are.”_

_“We didn’t want to put you in any more danger than we have already. You’ve done mare than enough to help clear Frank’s name,” he said. “Now I have to help him in a different way.”_

_“In a ‘vigilante’ way?”_

_“Right,” Matt nodded._

_“Well, what about the... um,” she stuttered, then waved her hands vaguely at his midsection._

_“Oh! Um,” he stuttered right back at her. “I told you those weren’t from Frank.”_

_“And I told you I’m not an idiot,” she said._

_She exhaled softly. “I guess it’s none of my business. But seriously Matt? Frank?”_

_“I’m sorry, Karen. I know that our... history probably makes this-“_

_“What? Oh please, Matt, it’s not that,” she scoffed, before becoming more reserved again. “I’m just... Is he why you’ve been so much...”_

_She paused for a minute, before she found the right words. “Better?” she asked. “Happier, I guess?”_

_“Maybe he’s... part of the reason,” Matt answered._

_“A big part?” she asked._

_Matt shrugged after a beat. He wasn’t sure what else to say._

_“Okay,” she said slowly. The she clapped her hands suddenly and loudly, scaring the hell out of Matt. “Okay! That’s good! This is good then!”_

_They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before Matt took a step toward her. “Karen-“_

_She instinctively stepped back. “I have to go.”_

_She nearly ran out of the apartment, leaving an even more flustered Matt in her wake. He wearily shook his head and dropped back into his seat._

_Karen was a problem for another day. Right now, he needed to find out what happened with Frank. They needed to plan their next move. Matt pulled out his burner and called David’s number._

***

Matt and Frank had only seen each other one more time after that.

David answered his call; he’d barely said hello before Frank snatched the phone out of his hand. He interrupted Matt’s incessant questions with a blunt “S’fine, Red.”

Before Matt could call him on that load of bullshit, Frank gave him a time and place to meet. He told Matt he had another op that he needed help on. And of course Matt had gone.

The location turned out to be for a motel. Frank explained that they were staking out a Colonel Morty Bennet that liked to bring his escorts there. They didn’t plan on having to fight the guy, but they should be prepared just in case his security caught wind of them.

It was an easy op, as expected, and left them plenty of time for other things. Frank had been especially romantic that night. Kisses were softer, gazes lasted longer; they’d even slept together afterward.

In retrospect, Matt could see that that was probably Frank’s way of saying goodbye without having to actually say it. The next morning, Matt had woken up alone in bed to a text from Frank.

_David needed me. Didn’t wanna wake you. Call later._

He’d shrugged it off at the time and just went back home. He kept busy patrolling the Kitchen and checking in with his friends. He didn’t really keep an eye out for Frank’s call. It was normal for them to go a few days without speaking. Plus, he had plenty of his own crime related crises to keep him occupied.

But when no calls came after a full week, he’d gotten worried. He ended up having to reach out to Frank. Matt had dialed his burner a few times but he always got the voicemail. The only real responses he’d get were brief texts telling him that Frank was alright and didn’t need him.

Matt tried not to take that personally, and though he couldn’t deny that it hurt, Frank not wanting to see him wasn’t the worst of it. The worst part was that Matt knew he was lying. He didn’t know if it was about wanting sex or his company or about the mission. He knew that Frank could handle himself, but Matt could just feel that something was off.

His suspicions were confirmed when he dialed Frank’s number for the umpteenth time and a robotic voice informed him that the number had been disconnected.

He raced to the hideout to see what was going on. He still remembered the almost paralyzing chill that ran down his spine as he took in the sight of it.

The walls were riddled with bullet holes, the computer’s had been destroyed, and there was blood everywhere. He could sense that the place had already been combed through by police and likely some other third party with evil intentions.

He didn’t know it at the time but he’d shown up about two days after Billy Russo and William Rawlins had tied Frank to a chair and beat him half to death. The thought of it still made Matt sick.

Standing in the empty space, his only company the violent reminders of his failure to help Frank; the suffocating fear that Frank no longer wanted his help.

After he left the warehouse, Matt searched the city high and low for any sign of Frank or David. He was thorough, but he’d been sidetracked by all the shit still happening in the Kitchen. His hunt for Frank had been interrupted by some knife wielding enforcers for the Irish. He probably would have died from that fight had he not dragged himself back to Claire’s, and now Luke’s, apartment to get stitched up.

When he woke up the next day, there were reports of a firefight near an old carousel and Matt knew immediately that whatever happened there, Frank was involved. And of course it had taken place right around the time those Irish pricks had tried to carve him to shreds. Matt had already made them pay for missing Frank the next time he ran into them.

He’d gone by the hideout to see if Frank returned, but it was still deserted. And Frank’s apartment was not only empty, but it had been almost totally cleared out. He called both Frank and David’s burners, but they were still disconnected.

He’d almost gone by David’s house to see if Sarah knew anything, but he’d thought better of it. He remembered one more person who might have any idea what was going on.

***

_Matt descended the stairs that led to the basement of the old recreational center. He passed several men and women as he forced himself not to push them out of his way._

_Curtis had shown up at the hideout a few times; once he’d even saved Frank’s life after he’d been shot with a poison tipped arrow. He wasn’t officially working with the three of them, but Curtis knew all about their operation and they could trust him. He and Matt got a long pretty well, too. That’s why Matt was comfortable coming to him with this._

_He could hear Curtis’ hushed voice coming from the discussion room. Matt had planned to crash the man’s therapy session to see if he had any idea what happened to Frank._

_Matt eyes’ widened as he approached the room’s entrance. He heard two familiar voices along with Curt’s: David and Karen._   
_Matt stopped and listened from outside the room._

_“I just can’t believe he would do that,” Curt said quietly._

_“Really?” David asked. “I can. Frank’s not big on feelings, you know. But he loves being an asshole.”_

_“Shut up,” Curtis said at that same time as Karen’s “Really, David?”_

_“What? We all know it’s true,” David said. He sipped loudly from a styrofoam cup of coffee. “I’m surprised he even let himself get caught up with Matt. Even though I could always kinda tell that there was something there.”_

_“You and me both. You know, when I told him to leave I didn’t think he had anyone to leave behind.” Matt could hear Curtis shaking his head ruefully._

_“I didn’t even think Frank had it in him to fall in love again,” Curtis said._

_“I did,” Karen added. “Well I’d hoped, anyway. Just for his own good, you know? I wanted him to heal.”_

_“You really think he was in love?” David asked._

_Curtis was shaking his head again. “Man, I don’t know but he was definitely feeling something,” he said. “The only thing Frank Castle is scared of, is feeling something. After everything he’s been through, I don’t think he knows how to process something that intense.”_

_“That’s obvious,” David scoffed. “Why else would he just pack up and leave town without saying a word, especially to his boyfriend?”_

_“God, I can’t believe he did that to, Matt,” Karen said sadly._

_Matt didn’t believe it. Frank was gone? He’d actually left the city and told everyone but him? He couldn’t have._

_He really didn’t want to hear anymore, but Matt needed to be sure. He finally stepped into the room._

_“I told Frank not to-“_

_“Matt!” David said to him, purposefully interrupting Karen. He choked on his next sip of coffee. He didn’t speak again until after he caught his breath. “Um. Hi.”_

_Karen turned around to face him, mouth open in shock before she attempted to regain her composure._

_“Matt! When did you...” She cleared her throat before looking around the room for support. Curtis just shook his head and looked away. “What are you doing here?”_

_He ignored her question. “Where?”_

_“Where...?” David started._

_“Frank. Where’d he go?”_

_David sighed and set his cup down. “Matt, I’m so sorry.”_

_“Sorry for what?” Matt turned on him. “Lying to my face? Letting me think that the two of you were dead? Or cutting me off without saying a Goddamn word?”_

_“Look, after Frank got back from the motel things went crazy,” he reasoned. “Rawlins had my family kidnapped and we had to move fast to get them back.”_

_“And you didn’t think I could help with that?” Matt asked. “Why would you not call me?”_

_“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking straight. After they took Sarah and Zach I kind of went on autopilot,” he said. “Plus, Frank told me you were busy with some gang war?”_

_Of course it was all Frank’s doing. Matt knew that he wasn’t trying to be considerate, just trying to keep more distance between the two of them. But why? Did he not want to be with Matt so badly that he’d rather disappear than have a damn conversation with him?_

_“I’d never be too busy for that,” Matt sighed. He ignored all the other questions racing through his mind that he had way too much pride to ask. “They’re safe now? Sarah and the kids?”_

_“Yeah, yeah,” David nodded. “Thanks for asking.” It was a beat of silence before he spoke again._

_“Just so you know, none of us knew that Frank was leaving. I mean, aside from Curt,” he amended. “And he never would have told him to leave, if he’d known that you and Frank were, um....”_

_“The point is we’re sorry,” Curt interjected, with an audible scowl at David. “I never would have suggested Frank leave if I knew about the two of you.”_

_Curtis continued. “Nobody even knew that Frank was leaving until the day of and-“_

_“But you knew after he left. You may not have known beforehand but you’ve known now for a while,” Matt interrupted._

_He understood that nobody knew he and Frank were, whatever they were, before Frank left. But they’d known long enough to have a group meeting about his absence when they still hadn’t told Matt._

_“You all knew that he left and decided to- what? Gossip about it amongst yourselves instead of tell me?”_

_“No, Matt. I came here to figure out a way so that I_ could _tell you. Or maybe even so that I wouldn’t have to,” Karen spoke quickly. “I knew that Curtis and Frank were close, so I wanted to see if he could get Frank to come back before you found out.”_

_She sighed. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”_

_“Too late for that,” Matt said quietly. His anger was starting to fade into something closer to sadness. He found he no longer wanted to yell; he just wanted to leave._

_“Thanks for being so considerate, guys. Seriously,” Matt turned and stalked out of the room._

_Karen and David both simultaneously protested, and she even ran after him. Karen placed a soft hand in his arm to get him to stay, but he shrugged it off._

_“Karen, please. Just... don’t. Not right now,” he turned on her._

_She let her hand fall away slowly and Matt left them to the newly silent room. He stormed up the stairs and out of the building._

_He was outside hailing a cab when he heard Curtis jog up to him. “Hey.”_

_Matt didn’t immediately turn around. He exhaled heavily and slumped his shoulders. “Curtis, I really don’t-“_

_“Just listen, alright?” Curt asked. He waited for Matt to turn around before he continued._

_“I know how much you must hate Frank right now. I know I would.”_

_Matt said nothing. He absolutely did hate Frank right now, but he didn’t want to talk about it. He just wanted to go home, put on the suit and beat the fuck out of some assholes until the sun came up the next day._

_“But I can also see how much you still care about him.” Matt definitely wasn’t gonna respond to that. Especially since it was true._

_“What’s your point?” he asked wetly._

_“My point is this: Frank is one of my closest friends. He’s family. So my priority is always going to be what’s best for him,” Curtis said. “I thought that leaving, leaving this city and all its pain behind, would be good for Frank. Now I’m not so sure.”_

_Matt was still facing Curt so that his back was to the curb. Curtis reached past him and waved his hand a couple times, flagging down the taxi Matt had forgotten about._ A _car slowed as it pulled up next to them._

_“I told Frank to leave so that he could move forward. So that he could heal,” he continued. “And I don’t think running from his feelings, from you, is gonna help him do that.”_

_Curt opened the cab door for him and Matt quietly thanked him as he slid inside. He refused to reach for his glasses though he didn’t know how much longer it would be before the dam broke. Curt nodded and closed the door but he ducked down so that he could look in the window as he spoke._

_“The times I talked to Frank, I could sense a change in him. He was happy, or as close as he could get to it. I thought it was because he was finally getting answers, his version of justice. But now I know that wasn’t it, not completely.”_

_“Where to?” the cab driver interrupted impatiently. Matt rattled off his address quickly before he turned back to Curtis._

_“I’ll let you go, I just wanted to say that-” Curtis paused before he continued, trying to decide if he should say what he was thinking._

_“To answer your question, I don’t know where Frank is,” he continued. “But I did tell him to check in with me every now and again to let me know how he’s doing. And when he does, I’ll let you know where he’s at.”_

_Matt just sat there. He wasn’t sure if he should thank Curtis for betraying his friend’s trust or just decline the offer altogether. Matt didn’t know if he even wanted to know where Frank was anymore. Frank obviously didn’t want him to know._

_He wasn’t sure what to say at all, so he said nothing. Curtis filled the silence._

_“You can do with the information what you will,” he said easily. “I just think it’s best for the both of you if you at least have a chance to see this through.”_

_“Ready yet?” the driver cut in irritably._

_“Goodbye, Curtis,” Matt swallowed throatily after a second or two. He was still feeling unsure and didn’t trust himself to speak at length._

_Curt just nodded, aware enough of Matt’s abilities that he’d be able to pick it up._

_“Yeah. I’m ready,” he finally turned to the driver._

_The driver muttered under his breath before he pulled into traffic and left Curt in the rear view mirror._

***

A little over a week after that conversation, Curtis called him. Frank was in Michigan; in some small town right outside of Detroit.

Matt was on the fence about whether or not he would go, despite the fact that he still missed the man immensely. His pride wouldn’t allow him to chase Frank across state lines. And Curt’s assurance that somewhere deep down Frank did want to see him, didn’t exactly fill Matt with confidence.

He’d declined to go at first, chief amongst the reasons was that he wasn’t going to buy a plane ticket to somewhere Frank may not even be anymore only to get rejected once he got there. But even when David solved those problems by pinpointing Frank’s exact location and using stolen money for his plane fare, he still wasn’t totally convinced.

In the end, it was Karen’s and mostly Foggy’s insistence that forced him to go.  
Fog had no idea what either he or Karen saw in Frank, but he knew that Matt cared about him and that he wouldn’t be able to move on if he didn’t at least try to talk to Frank. And as an added bonus, if it all worked out, this would be one hell of a romantic gesture. Fog’s words, not his.

Unfortunately, the trip had been anything but romantic. Matt got on the plane, which had been absolute hell on his senses, and made the two hour trip to Detroit. He’d taken a very expensive cab ride to the location David gave him, only to find Frank’s cracked phone on the sticky floor of a dive bar.

He pocketed the phone and was then informed by the bartender that a really grumpy but handsome patron had been drinking there the previous night and hadn’t been back since. David told him that he could check satellite footage for the latest sighting of Frank’s van, but Matt told him not to even bother. The whole ordeal just made him feel more desperate and stupid than he had already.

He’d parked himself on a bar stool and decided to get as wasted as possible; and when the opportunity presented itself, to bury his sorrows between the legs of a beautiful woman.

He found the closest motel and spent the night with someone who actually wanted him, but it did almost nothing to improve his shitty mood. He needed to get back to New York.

After checking that Glorianna was still asleep, Matt slowly pulled his arm from beneath her head and sat up as carefully as he could manage.

He soundlessly untangled their limbs and moved away, the rough sheets sliding off of his bare waist. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rested his elbows on his knees with his face in his hands.

After allowing himself a few more moments to mentally kick his own ass, he sighed softy and got up from the bed. He dressed quietly, making sure to pull on the trench coat he’d brought with him. He grabbed the rest of his belongings and slipped out.

There was very little noise outside, especially compared to the perpetual uproar that crowded Hell’s Kitchen. Still, it must have been fairly early. He tapped a few buttons on his cell until it said the time aloud: six thirty.

He found a bench far away from his room and sat while he dictated to his phone to call an Uber. He was gonna ride to the airport and wait until he could get the earliest flight out of there with the money David had given him.

He sat there waiting for his car to show up and running his fingers back and forth over the cracked screen of Frank’s cell phone. He’d meant to leave it at the bar in case Castle came back for it, but he was selfishly glad that he’d kept it. Not only would it inconvenience Frank, it was the only real thing Matt had left of him. Like he’d said earlier: he was pathetic.

He’d been wallowing in his sorrow and fighting off the beginnings of a headache when when he heard it. That heartbeat.

It was the same steady rhythm but unaccompanied by the painfully familiar scent of gunpowder and machine oil. The coffee was there, though, along with a hint of stale beer and minty toothpaste. On top of all that was some perfume.

Matt listened as Frank exited another room that was only a few doors away from the one he’d been in. He was laughing softly as a woman appeared next to him. Matt could hear the light breeze whistling through her robe as she smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Then another.

“You gonna let me go get us breakfast or not?” Frank asked playfully.

“I am pretty hungry,” the woman responded, her voice light and airy. “Just not for food.”

Frank laughed. “Well, I need to refuel.” He gave her a third kiss. “I’ll see you in a minute, Beth.”

“Hurry back,” ‘Beth’ said seductively.

Matt immediately got up from his bench and walked numbly away from the motel parking lot. Yeah, he needed to go back to New York. Or somewhere, anywhere but here. He felt like he was going to be sick.

The motel door shut but Matt could still hear the woman’s soft laughter and nervous heartbeat behind the thin barrier. After that, Matt tried to shut out all the noise coming from the stimulants around him.

Frank’s slow footsteps toward his van. His gravelly voice muttering both his and Beth’s breakfast orders to himself as he went. Beth’s scent still clinging to his skin. The jarring absence of all the other scents that Matt had come to associate with him. Matt’s own heart beating so hard that he could feel it in his hands. The single tear that slid down his cheek.

Frank had moved on. It was stupid for Matt not to have realized that that was all this was; Frank moving on and leaving him behind. Now he had no choice but to accept it. And it was time for Matt to finally do the same.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i wanted to have this fic done and posted by my birthday as a gift to myself but of course i missed it by a couple days. regardless, i’m just glad it’s finally finished lol.
> 
> if anyone is confused by the timeline between the two fics, here is a small clarifier: matt sees frank with beth the morning after frank thinks he sees matt in the bar. i'm not sure if that was made clear enough from the story lol.
> 
> and as always i hope i did these characters justice! lmk if you enjoyed it 🥺 hmu @ maniskordaze on tumblr 🤟🏾


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